This invention is related to cabling systems, and more particularly to a sleeve system for cables and wires extending through a wall or floor wherein the sleeve system can bring the wiring of the structure within the applicable fire code without necessitating removal or splicing of the cables or wires.
Computer and data communication systems are a vital part of business today. A system shutdown, whether planned or unplanned, can result in complete suspension of business operations. As a result, many companies go to great extremes to try to prevent system down time by, for example, purchasing "hot swap" file servers, stand-by power supplies, and built in redundancy for their systems.
Unfortunately, none of these precautions will prevent a shutdown which is required in order to repair wall or floor penetrations that violate the applicable building codes. As building codes have become increasingly more stringent, building inspections are frequently discovering cable lines installed through firewalls wherein the installer breached the wall without restoring it back to code. The national, state, and most local codes require all cables to be installed through a firewall in a metallic conduit.
Nevertheless, in the construction industry today, the standard practice for re-sealing an existing firewall penetration is merely to apply enough "dry wall mud" to seal the penetration point. While aesthetically satisfactory, this method gives no assurance that the seal meets the code requirements. Furthermore, this type of seal is easily broken by the least amount of stress on the cables and also requires breaking and resealing the wall again in the event additional cables need to be installed.
Re-wiring these firewalls to meet fire codes ordinarily necessitates removal or splicing of each existing cable so as to allow an appropriate conduit to be inserted into the firewall. This forces businesses to shut down their computer and data communication systems while the repair occurs.
The present invention provides a simple device and method for using the device which allows firewalls which are currently in violation of national, state, or local code due to substandard wall penetration to be brought into conformance with the code without having to remove or splice any cable or wiring.
It is thus one object of the present invention to provide a device which can bring improper, damaged, or outdated firewall penetrations up to current National Fire and Electric Code standards.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a device which can bring substandard wiring or cabling through a wall or floor up to code requirements without requiring removal or splicing of the wiring or cabling.
It is another object of the invention to provide a device which can bring substandard wiring or cabling up to code requirements without necessitating system shutdown.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a device for protecting cables or wires through a wall or floor which allows simple installation of additional wiring through the wall or floor.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method for bringing substandard wiring or cabling through a wall or floor up to code requirements without requiring removal or splicing of the wiring or cabling.
By the present invention, there is provided a split sleeve system for protecting cables or wires in a firewall environment. In one embodiment, the system includes a pair of sleeve units which are identical halves of a cylindrical shell threaded over its length and split along its longitudinal axis. The sleeve units contain the cables or wires and are secured within the wall by the use of at least one slotted flange and a slotted coupler on each side of the wall. The slots in the flanges and couplers enable these components to be fitted around existing wiring or cabling.